Does size matter? 1x12 vs 2x12 vs 4x12 guitar cabinet shootout
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video: I eat bananas and test three cabinets - 1x12, 2x12 and 4x12.
All the cabs are from AMT. Let's find out what's the difference!
Room mic scenes were shot at Musikmesse 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany. Thanks to Ivan Demichev of AMT for help.
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Your videos are always so ridiculously helpful, clear, and informative. Thank you!
I preferred the smaller cabs when micced up as a sound that seems like it would fit well in a mix. The room mic made it apparant that the 4x12 fills the room better in person though.
I prefer the 2x12. The 1x12 sounds a bit too thin to me and the 4x12 lacks punch and mids.
Agree
I prefer too, but maybe I am byased for owning a 2x12
Always loved my Marshall 4x12" but as my life situation changed, I needed a smaller cabinet. But I really didn't want to lose tone. So I bought a Zilla Fatboy Oversized 2x12. It sounds absolutely amazing. I compared it to many 4x12" cabinets and always prefered my Zilla. So happy with it.
A 2x12 with the same speakers as a 4x12 will be louder if they are wired in parallel (e.g. two8 ohm speakers giving 4 ohms) versus the 4x12's parallel-series wiring giving 8 ohms. A 4 ohm cab can draw more power from an amp, particularly a solid-state one (less so from a tube amp that has multiple output transformer taps for different impedances and you use the right ones). You need a comparison where you have exactly the same speakers in both cabs, and all the speakers are driven to the same output level, regardless of impedance.
One of the best test/comparison videos I’ve ever seen.
Really excellent work you have done there!!
Great shootout, very interesting results.
Thanks for sharing!
Your videos are really well made and top notch quality! It's not the first I've seen, but each time it strikes me. Qualitywise, contentwise, nothing is being left over, and they are quite satisfying for the gear nerds like us! You must be really hardworking. Hat off mate! You deserve even more attention!
Wow, thank you!
Did not expect to like the 1x12 the best
Благодарю за то, что заморочились и сделали такой информативный и показательный обзор. Мне очень понравилось.
Thank you so much for making this!!!
1x12’s are where it’s at for recording. Focused, direct, balanced. In-person may be a different story of course - 4x12’s are great to play solo guitar with.
Seems to me that an oversized 1x12 is the way to go. With a speaker that doesn’t break up quickly. Keep headroom. Think of it as getting close to an ISO cab.
This was interesting in the way that they can sound so different depending on the mic placement and choice of mic. Very hard to tell which one is better or worse ... In some settings I liked one and then in others I didn't like it! Overall very educational!
I figured it's extremely hard to capture 3 cabs at the same time with one mic. No matter how you place the mic, they still sound differently vs each other than in the room. I had a feeling that 2x12 and 4x12 were pretty close with 1x12 being very thin. But on the tape it's not like that. 1x12 also sounded way quieter in the room than the other two
Initially I thought that the 1x12 sounded better in the first part of the video but then the 4x12 sounded better during the musikmesse clips. And with the impulse responses I am sure you can get them all to sound good if you just tweek them right ...
Again I think that you are showing that the gear itself isn't the main thing, love it!
Very exelent video Max, as always! It's important keeping in mind of the difference in impedance between the 212 and the other two, in fact this affects both volume and tonal properties of the sound, besides this... thank you very much for the test!
Well, all cabs are 8 ohm actually! Two 16 speakers in parallel result in 8 ohm for the whole cabinet
That's what I thought, still Adam Steel (Hop Pole Studios) did kind of a similar shootout comparing 8 Ohms and 16 Ohms V30 and they did slightly sounded different, he did the same for parallel versus series routing of speaker, again resulting in slight differences in sound ;)
Yep, 8 vs 16 do work and sound differently. Even official diagrams at Celestion website are a bit different. But still, they considered to be the same by many people! You just gave me an idea, I guess I should do 8 vs 16 shootout as well :)
That'd be great!!!
Great video Max! To add to the variables on this, I'm also would love to hear the differences between a closed back and open back cabinet on the same speaker. Seems that would have as great or greater impact than the impedance.
Oh, yeah. But that's relatively easy, I can do that in a stream at some point. Maybe even take a couple of different cabs to get a bigger picture
Funny, i liked the 1x12 the most! I did not expect that.
The best test I have seen so far and I know that 2x12 closed back is my top one but... ...I like 1/3 open back 1×12 and 2x12 cabs the most
Oddly enough, when you started with the 4x12 in the room mic part, I thought "This is how a guitar is supposed to sound", but after you came back around through the 2x12 and 1x12, it sounded muffled. 2x12 all the way for me.
I think this shows the qualities of all when miced/recording. If you were going out to a PA, the 1x12 sounds a bit tighter, but for room practice I always prefer 2 speakers, gives a bit more "space"(?) to the sound, without having a huge 4x12 cab next to your bed! I have a Laney GC-30V 210 which is a KILLER amp, not huge, but with 2 speaker loveliness for home use. I think open and closed back has a huge impact on tone as well, whether 1x12, 2x12 or 4x12 (Can you get 4x12 open back cabs??)
Some of the greatest tracks ever laid down in rock ‘n’ roll history were done with a small combo amp 1x12.
Tony Marinelli u should name a few
FightingPolygon Most of zeppelin stuff if not all, the Beatles, Neul Schon from journey the band Toto Steve Lukather on a majority of his albums. Eric Clapton it goes on and on. It’s a fallacy to believe that recordings are done using a Marshall stack. You cannot get the optimum sound from Marshall unless it’s cranked
Thank’s for the test dude the 2x12 is sick
I like the 1x12 and now that I don't gig anymore and play only at home I like my 20watt amps thru 1x12 cabs.
What sort of amp are you using? And what music do you play?
I'm sorta about to get myself that same combination of gear as well.. but I don't know whether the Mesa Mini Slant 1x12 Recto Cab will be able to facilitate some good resonance (chuggedey chugs). 😕
I've had every amp you csn think of but now that I'm 60 years old I narrowed my gear to just one amp and 2 guitars. Having dozens of guitars and amps only complicated things. Currently I play a Clapton Series Strat and a Baja Tele thru a Fender Princeton Reverb. I don't play metal so my setup is good for what I like 60s -90s rock, funk, R&B, but mainly classic rock like Free, the Who, Stones, Bad Co, etc. My Strat gives me humbucker tone when I need it without having a Les Paul.
Great video!! I'm currently saving up for the AMT Stonehead 50 watt head and would absolutely love to get one of their 412's one day too!! Not sure I'll be able to save up for that as well though :(
One more time - very interesting. I like the 1x12 and 4x12. The 2x12 sounds to sharply for my taste
Yup, still a 212 fan. And if you build them oversized, you'll get more depth to go with that definition.
oversized on all dimensions? or just the depth oversized?
Very good job!
Interesting how the differences got more visible with the higher gain settings while the clean channel sounded almost the same among all three
great demo.
I think the test would have worked better, or been more of an effective comparison if you just mic'd one speaker with the 2 mics like you did on the 1x12 or just used 1 mic on one speaker.(that is if you wanted to hear what effect the cab has!) Also every speaker will sound abit different usually in a cab with multiple speakers(even if they are the same speakers) so it would help to first find out which one sounds closest to the character of the 1x12. So basically make everything on 1 speaker as even as possible so you can then hear what the cab difference is doing!
The 1X12 sounds best to my ear.
Me too
Sameee
This is very interesting how even when close miced, the cabs effect the direct sound from the speaker. I never would have suspected honestly. Personally I went back and forth between the 1x12 and 2/12 in terms of being my fav, the 2x12 just being fuller on the bottom and more relaxed. The 1 x12 being the most focused. However this is useful, but not a comprehensive comparison. What we need to acknowledge is that we are not hearing the room sound here, which is all the speakers and cab resonance working together (the whole point of multi speaker cabs), and how we would hear the differences between the cabs then, would be all together different, and that might balance out, or change our preferences all together.
Hmm. I'm under the impression that the 1 x 12" cabinet would be best for recording, while the 4 x 12" would be best for live playing.
Not sure yet what I think about the 2 x 12".
Interesting test 4x12 for live but 1x12 seems to be the most versatile. It’s interesting to note that the likes of jimmy Page preferred to use small amps for recording.
Good video 👍
Great and thorough video Max...
Some time back Phill from 'Know your gear' did a comparison between 16 and 8 ohms speakers of the same type, and there was a quite distinct difference between the two. It may offer some explanation why at times your 2x12 also sounded like the odd one out. Be that as it may I felt that the 4x12 on lead channel while sounding 'thicker' and 'bigger' also sometimes gave the impression of being somewhat like a stiff cardboard box, while the 1x12 lacked any real 'meat in the bottom end', so my preference overall as a youtube listener would in this case be for the 2x12 as it seemed to give the flattest or most even frequency response .... That preference could easily all change if I were in the room with the cabs...
Also, when you did the room test with the cabs behind the mic the 2x12 was the only one which sounded like it was actually 'behind the mic' and in the dead notch of the cardioid pattern of the mic. the other two had considerable 'spill' as they were not in the notch. To correct for this one test the cabs should have been stacked above each other.
Right! I wish we had this brilliant idea back in Frankfurt! Well, I've chosen 2x12 for my live gigs. 1x12 is kinda thin, 4x12 is just too heavy and loud. This 2x12 has very nice frequency response all togehter
The mics don't lie....2x12 is a heavy loser.
i am pleasantly surprised, the 1x12 sounded waaayy better than its BIGGER BROTHERS. i did not expect that at all. but again it all comes down to preference
Very Helpful test- my takeaway from this is … either go 1x12 or full bore 4x12 - and for me at home - looks like 1x12 for the win on cost vs benefit for my use
If your playing clean to semi overdrive and you like reverb and delay type of affects the stereo type of tone from the 2x12 cabs are the way to go
Man, I have a 2x12 with Mark V 25 but I think it's too loud for my apartment sometimes. If I play through a 1x12, will it serve as an attenuator and ill be able to get good tone at lower volumes?
Hi, do you know if a 12x10 is a lot louder than a 2x12? Meaning one cab has a 12 inch and a 10 inch and the other has 2x12.
Is the 2x12 a lot louder?
Just traded my 4x12 for a mesa boogie 2x12 both have the v30s not much difference but visually I miss the 4x12 already as I could see my amp clearly hell I had a stack of heads almost to the roof now I cant even see my amp hiding in the corner. Don't miss lugging that 100lbs + cab up the stairs at all though.
2x12 is plenty loud and sounds best to me. an as far as moving storing and using at home the 2x12 is king imo
please compare combo vs cabinet amps
Oh wow that greenamp is cool
For crunch tones and high gain, I prefer the 2x12. it's in the Goldilocks zone for me. The 1x12 has a bit of a harsh attack and sounds too tight for my taste, while the 4x12 has so much cabinet resonance that it sounds like it's emphasizing the bass freqs too much and drowning the upper mids.
OK, is it just me or does that 2x12 in the room tests (at about 5:45) sound like a crappy AM radio compared to the other two? 4x12 sounded rich and full as expected but the 1x12 sounded quite good too, the 2x12 sounded thin and terrible to my ears (listened through headphones)
1x12 close miced in the studio sounded the best .....but Live the 4x12 can't be beat .
Where can i buy a "True Box of Ampsomeness"?
Great video! Hey... I can’t find the IR of the AMT cabs... where can I buy them?
Hey. Those were never released actually. There's a chance though that I'll be releasing more IRs this year. Some are already available through my website, links in the description
Max Solo Music Hi! Sooo... don’t you wanna sell them to me? 😬
I like the 2x12 best for high gain as it sounds more mix friendly.....but in amp sim impulse land, 4x12s are best....I have a cheap seismic audio 2x12 cab, with an eminence governor and cv75 and I get great sounds micing one speaker with a Sennheiser 609 in the cap edge and the other with an sm57 off axis using a Randall thrasher, and 6505 mini
Back when I bought the only cab I own, I went with 2x12 because it was much smaller and lighter than the 4x12 but could still handle a 100 or 150 watt head. That was literally all I considered beyond the brand, which was Engl, same as my amp at the time (well, that and the impedance matching). If there were a 1x12 that I knew would be safe with a big tube head, I'd have bought that. That said, now that I've compared it with a couple other cabinets, I'd still never consider a 4x12, but I'm ok with holding onto the 2x12 because the size does make a difference in the low end. But my next cabinet will be the smallest I can get. It's hard to argue with portability.
Absolutely! I have 4 different 1x12 cabs and the one that sounds the best is also the biggest of them. Until now it could even beat any other 1x12 or 2x12 I had a chance to check. Looking forward to compare it to this 2x12 from AMT
You make an interesting point about your biggest 1x12 is your best 1x12. Can you elaborate on what difference you perceive?
I liked the crunchier tones on the 2x12 the best
Amazing!!!!
First time viewer. Hooked. Love the methods you test with. There is always someone who wants it done a little more this or that. But your doing an awesome job at being as fair as you can with what you got.
That 2x12 disappointed me. I wonder what a 2x12 mono 8ohm cab would sound like. Im assuming it was 16ohm stereo? I couldnt watch the whole thing.
2x12 has 16ohm speakers in parallel, so 8ohm together. Other two cabs are 8ohm
It seems to my ears that the 1x12 is bit more muddy, which is not bad. Muddy tones serve their purpose, especially if you're going to play specific styles of music like dirty blues or certain alternative styles of music. In metal though, 2x12 and 4x12, in my opinion, are better to use because not so much air is being compacted through a speaker, giving tone more room to breath through the cabinet. It sounds cleaner. The speaker cabinet choice is preference in regards to genre of music. I myself like 2x12, because it's a balance between affordability, sound, and ease of transportation!
I don't know anything about recording but if you are comparing through 1x mike only should not you centre the mike so the 2x12 and 4x12 are not at a disadvantage?
Nope. Not for the close mic.
That 4x12 sounds like rock and roll, whether it's the best or not.
1x12 or 4x12.
The best 2x12 cab I've heard demos of is the Bogner 212cb though. Sounds almost identical to the 4x12.. Maybe slightly better.
Gotta be careful though. Any individual speaker can sound wildly different from one another... As close to fair comparisons as possible can only really be done transplanting the same exact speaker from cab to cab, and mic'ing them exactly the same.. And being exact is pretty tough.
отличный обзор! не знаешь где скачать\купить импульсы этих трех кабинетов?
Знаю. Guitar Simpulse модели Soberia. Через пару месяцев будет релиз
Get four of the 1x12 and get a Brian May sound! Perhaps, the 2x12 for me.
First off, this was a awesome test! Thank you for doing it! I'm partial to the 2x12. The 4x12 sounded a bit muddier to me, maybe it's my speakers? The 1x12 is certainly bright. Man, each has their place. I can't move around a 4x12 though hahaaa......
4x12 had more punch but tone wise I liked 2x12 the best and as you said the 1x12 was more different in the recording. You say in the room they were not that much different really... so what did you like best and why?
In the room 1x12 sounded thin compared to the other two. It was a few months ago but my back still hurts after lifting that 4x12. So that one is out of the game :) I used the 2x12 for a few shows and was very satisfied with it. I also like the fact that it has feet on the side, so you can use it vertically
Any chance you can compare 2x12 vs a pair of 1x12? What are the differences when you stack the pair of 1x12 as opposed to having one on each side of the stage? Personally I was planing on buying a second 1x12 to play in stereo and having a portable rig but sometimes being an aspiring tone nerd I think I may be missing a better tone if not using a 2x12.
I don't have two 1x12 which are the same, so I guess it won't be fair. But that's something I can do at next event like Guitar Summit or something
Hey thanks, I would really appreciate that, a pair of 1x12 vs single 2x12. I think the interest for portable rigs and stereo rigs has increased and I can see it by more videos about both topics in the last couple of years. That was my plan a few years ago and hopefully I will shoot the trigger for a my second 1x12 this year. In the end I think there are things that are very important and others have little, in this case do you think the 1x12 is simply good enough or you think I am missing a much better experience and maybe I should try 2x12? For your reference I already have a Fender HotRodDeluxe iii cab with a Lynchback so it is already an oversized cab.
I was surprised that the 1x12 read as louder than the 2x12. I wonder if that's accurate
The Leech Channel.
My Favorite!!!
There are things I like about all of them. Why can’t we just have all three at once?😭
I much preferred the 2X12 cabinet.
Mad props on a meticulous and thorough video. Your attention to detail is greatly appreciated from our point of view. It lets everyone who's curious gain insight. The problem is not in your guitar skills or recording skills.... The problem is with your banana peeling skills; YOURE PEELING BANANAS UPSIDE DOWN!!!! Bro.... Where'd you learn banana peeling? 😂 for real tho, thank you for the video.
Haha :) banana peeling is debatable
Max Solo Music 😂 Fair enough
I liked the 2x12 the best.
The most important factor to me regarding cabs is physical weight. Lugging around gear is a pain!
The 2x12 sounded really good with the high gain. The 1x12 sounded best for some things. The 4x12 sounded by far the best with the room mic. I think the 2x12 is the best compromise between all three. Go figure, the middle option offers the middle-compromise performance.
Even with the room mic, though, the 4x12 seemed like it would be the most likely to be lost in the mix.
That 16 ohm V30 sounds way more scooped....Its not just the cab size.
The power output of the amp running into the cabs is being split among all of the speakers. 50 watts going into a single 12 means the speaker is receiving 50 watts, the 2x12 is receiving 25 each, and the 4x12 is receiving 12.5 each. This means the max power input for the cab is greater the more speakers available. Speakers tend to sound better the more power is being run to them, which might explain why the single speaker cab has a lot more brightness and somewhat clearer tone than the 2x12 or 4x12, but they can get much louder and handle more wattage due to having multiple speakers in the circuit.
Im torn I have both 112 cabs and 212 they both have pros and cons alot depends on the driver ,frequency response and box design oval back , half open, front ported , and sealed . I have many speakers and a single sealed 12 is more focused tight and directional while my open 12 is more airy . My 212 has more dispersion open ambiance. The efficiency also makes a big difference of the sound . I use celestions , eminence, and Jensens what a world of difference in each . G12K 100 is my favorite for price and performance. If money is no object EVM12L .
am i the only one that thinks that 1x12 it's way better?
I just changed my mind from a 2x12 to a 1x12 because of that lol
Even in person. Cab design matters. You aren splitting the power between more speakers either. People forget that 212 is half of 112 and a 412 is a quarter power to each speaker. So a single speaker on a 412 using a 100 watt head will never be ploaying more than 25 watts of power. Speaker effeciency is different and reaponse from one speaker to the next
В микрофон - да. В комнату - нет.
Yes
Yes
been looking for an amp and cabinets for a few months the more i learn and listen the more indecisive i am. if anyone has an amp and speaker they love let me know. lol im clueless
Not sure if it's too late to respond to this but...
Mostly down to application and personal preference, I think.
Will it be for gigging, home studio, practice or some combination?
You may want to aim for a certain smaller size setup if you don't fancy lugging something around or perhaps the ability to pack punch regardless of the sound mixer at venues is worth that trade to you. Keep in mind that many famous albums were recorded with small cabinets that were properly mic'd and mixed.
As far as brand goes, it shouldn't be too significant, as-long as the speakers are well made and have a decent wattage & ohm rating for your amp (need to be compatible, videos online about this). Again, keeping application in mind when choosing these factors.
good video
Thanks
2x12
Holy shit
that's so good
1x12 open back or closed back ?
All cabs are closed back
Thumbs up ! Thanks !
IMHO such differences might be because of the speakers and not the cabinets. The only way to perform a real comparisson would be moving and recording the same speaker in the different cabinets. Even speakers of the exact same model can sound different. Cheers
2x12 rules
I Like 1x12 a lot!
It kinda sounds great for crunchy tones, right? Really cuts through
it's perfect for crunch and gain on that video, other combinations sound either edgy or kinda dull in comparison to 1x12.
1x12 are so underrated, the drawback is that if they're not well made they're gonna suck ass but if the construction is on point you really have the character or you speaker and some resonance from your cab, highly controllable with a mic and the EQ of the amp. 4x12 just sound boomy and dull for me, defined mid range yet not much character. get a g12k100 and a v30 in two 1x12 you have a nice and defined tone, controllable bass response.
2x12 are just weirdos in the scope although I can feel some similarities between the 1x12 and the 4x12, the 2x12 sounds like something else (not bad but just not the same)
привет, не сравнивал кабинеты амт с кабинетами ерасова? на днях общался с менеджером продаж амт, он уверял, что у них кабинеты более качественные :D я не особо поверил, но интересно было бы сравнить, сам пользуюсь ерасовым - доволен :)
а так - похоже, что бОльшие кабинеты из-за своего объема дают меньше верха и чуть больше низа
их друг против друга не сравнивал, но сравнивал свой Yerasov Bull 112V с Orange и ещё чем-то вроде. Большая разница в пользу Yerasov
спасибо)
boy in a band?
yes
Miked I don't think there would much difference so long as the speakers are the some, In the room the more speakers the more full the sound. 4X12's rule even if they break your back!
Are these all closed backs?
Yes, they are
16ohm v30's sound different to 8 ohms by themselves, so I think the real big difference here is 1x12 vs 4x12. But even then, you have to think about how the 4x12 is wired. I am assuming that the total impedance of the cab is 8 ohms though, in which case it's a good 1:1 comparison.
haha great video not even 1 dislike!
2x12 for me
Thanks for this There is no substitute for a 4x12...
4x12 wow!
I'm a size queen...I prefer 4x12 because it sounds bigger... Oversize 4x12, in fact. To my ears, it's got a wider frequency range. More bass, more treble, more scooped midrange sound. Just sounds FAT. I LOVE THAT GIRTH.
1x12 in this demo. But if course in a live setting the tone would be felt differently.
God dammit now i need to save for a 4x12
Size DOES matter... when it comes to bananas!
Емко и полезно
The error here is, you shoud put all mic position on the same as the 1x12 to all the cab in one speaker too then they all sound the same in the mix. Except in actual in front of the cab, you can hear the accoustic reponse of each cab of course.Another error is, you should put the mic on top of each speaker cap on the room test.
The 4x12 sounds great. Way more full than the rest.
What were the bananas for? It seems like it was ....... OHHHH